The Deceptive Mist
by ariathal2410
Summary: Tsuna finds out that Kyoko isn't all that she seems and must put a stop to her plots before someone gets hurt. But will the others believe him, or are they too far gone? Evil!Kyoko, Strong!Kyoko


**AN:** This idea came to me and begged to be written, so... Here it is, hope you enjoy!

 _Warnings:_ OOC Kyoko (obviously), I think others might be a little OOC as well...

 _Disclaimer:_ Don't own KHR

 **The Deceptive Mist**

 _ **All this time? How did I not see it…?**_ _It was all he could think, running through his head over and over again. Her flames were pushing against his, forcing him back. His flames were no longer pure Sky flames, muddled with Mist. He grit his teeth_. _**It's no use, I can't hold out any longer.**_ _She was so powerful…_

 _"Giving up already, Tsunayoshi-kun~" A voice sang from behind him. Tsuna smiled, he knew that voice very well. So, he wasn't going to fail after all..._

* * *

Tsuna rolled off the bed quickly, just barely managing to avoid a blow from the Leon-mallet. He quickly rolled again, dodging the bullets coming his way and making his way over to the wardrobe so he could get dressed for school. It had been almost an entire year since the Arcobaleno trials and since things had been relatively quiet, Tsuna had gotten a fair bit of time to think about things. Including his crush on Kyoko. Meaning his now non-existent crush. He sighed, already dreading the day. Ever since Reborn had arrived, school had become the best thing for him, he got to see Kyoko _and_ all his friends. But lately… He didn't feel as though he liked Kyoko anymore, however she seemed to be taking a lot more interest in him than before. He really hoped he was over thinking things. He dodged another bullet and started heading downstairs for breakfast. He heard a growl and suppressed a shiver.

"Don't ignore me, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn growled out dangerously. Yes, Reborn had been trying to get his attention. That's what all the bullets were for, apparently.

"What is it, Reborn?" Tsuna asked the ex-Arcobaleno, trying not to make his bad mood any worse.

"What are you going to do about Kyoko? She seems to have taken an interest in you." Reborn replied jumping onto his seat at the table. Of course the hitman had already noticed that he had lost interest in the girl. Tsuna pondered for a moment before answering.

"I guess I'll just try to dissuade her from liking me more than friends using body language and stuff..." He mumbled thoughtfully, idly wondering if he could actually do something like that. Reborn rolled his eyes.

"Don't act without thinking, Dame-Tsuna. Keep this up and it's going to end with a broken heart." He advised, Tsuna sighed and nodded his agreement. He left shortly after, toast hanging out of his mouth as he rushed to get to school on time. He briefly greeted Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun before running towards school, both of them trailing beside him in a one-sided argument. He smiled happily as he listened to Yamamoto laugh and Gokudera-kun yelling profanities, this was normal and everything would be fine. Or so he thought...

School was mundane as usual, though Kyoko seemed to be acting a little strangely around him. When the lunch bell finally rung Tsuna was so relieved he could cry, and then he felt like he really _could_ cry when he saw Kyoko approaching him. _Please don't let her want to talk to me, please don't let her want to talk to me, please don't let her want to talk to me_ , he chanted in his head putting on a small smile as she reached his side.

"Something you need, Kyoko-chan?" He asked trying to keep a neutral face as she smiled brightly at him.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Tsuna-kun for a moment." _Damn it._ He smiled again, but he could feel how tight it was.

"Of course..." He agreed, standing up and walking with her out of the classroom. Why was he getting so worked up? It was probably nothing, she probably just wanted his help with something. With that in mind he let himself relax. They reached an empty corridor and Kyoko spun to face him.

"Tsuna-kun, will you go on a date with me?" She asked brightly, shooting him with a smile that exuded rainbows, flowers and sparkles. Tsuna froze in shock and horror, the colour slowly draining out of his face. This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid! He grimaced slightly, unable to keep the dread from pooling in his gut. He looked at her directly, she deserved that much at least.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan, I can't accept your feelings..." He said quietly, although he could tell by the shock on her face that she heard him clearly. Gah, he felt so guilty! Why did things have to turn out this way? Why didn't he like Kyoko anymore? She was an amazing girl! But... Something made Tsuna draw away from her. Something made him not want to be near her and the feeling was getting stronger and stronger with every week that passed.

"Why...?" Kyoko mumbled, her face crumbling and Tsuna felt horrible. She looked just about ready to cry.

"I'm sorry Kyoko-chan, I just don't feel that way about you..." He explained, trying not to make the girl cry. Onii-san would never forgive him for making her cry. Wait... What? Shouldn't he be more worried about _her_ than about what Onii-san would think? Oh well, he could think about it later.

"I... see..." Kyoko mumbled, her head dropping so her bangs covered her eyes in shadow. Tsuna really hoped she wasn't crying. She lifted her head and gave Tsuna a smile, though he could tell it was strained. It didn't suit the girl.

"I see. I hope we can still be friends, Tsuna-kun." She said, not quite pulling off chipper. He nodded in agreement, hoping that too. Probably... She left not long after that, scurrying away with the excuse of Hana waiting for her. It was awkward for the whole day afterward, Tsuna studiously avoiding looking in her direction and avoiding any questions that pertained to her with skilful deflection. He was delighted when the final bell rang, signalling he could go home, and he had never been happier that it was the weekend. When he got home he greeted his mother unenthusiastically, trudging upstairs and flopping down on his bed gracelessly. He couldn't even bring himself to react when Reborn jumped onto his stomach, even though it hurt. Reborn raised a brow.

"What happened?" He asked, not beating around the bush.

"Kyoko asked me out, I rejected her." Tsuna replied solemnly. Reborn sighed, staring down at him for a moment before jumping off and leaving him to his thoughts. He breezed through dinner on auto-pilot and went straight back to brooding on his bed afterwards, Reborn sipping coffee and shooting him glances every now and then. Soon it was time for bed, Tsuna getting ready and dropping back down without a word. What was he going to do?

* * *

Tsuna stretched languidly as he woke up, grinning happily at the beautiful weather. The sun was shining, the sky was a magnificent blue, the birds were singing. Today would be the perfect day to confess to Kyoko-chan! For once he was actually feeling pretty confidant. He smiled to himself as he got ready to go out, Reborn nowhere in sight, and almost ran down the stairs once he was ready. He threw a few words over his shoulder to his mother as he left and practically skipped down the street. It was the weekend so Kyoko-chan would probably be at her house. He hummed a little tune as he walked, smiling happily at anyone he passed and receiving a few strange looks because of it. That didn't matter though, he was going to confess to Kyoko-chan today! Everything was going to be perfect and -

Tsuna stopped dead in his tracks, his heart rate increasing rapidly. Why was he going to ask Kyoko out?! Hadn't he rejected her just yesterday? He froze, mind whirling as he tried to figure out what was going on. He could feel his Hyper Intuition going into overdrive along with another familiar sensation. Was that... Mist flames? Was Mukuro messing with him? But no, Mukuro wouldn't gain anything from him dating Kyoko... Chrome? She was good friends Kyoko, so she wouldn't be adverse to helping her out... No, she wasn't the type who would force someone to do something against their will like that, especially someone she cared about. But who else had Mist - Tsuna's whole world froze for a moment. Kyoko...? No. _No_. She wouldn't. She _couldn't_. He may have been teaching the girl's how to control flames for protection but they were just beginners, they were still working on the basics! He took a deep breath and released it slowly. He needed to calm down and think rationally. There was no reason to panic, no need to jump to conclusions. He wasn't so easily influenced by Mist flames, this person had to be pretty powerful to influence him. So he would observe, flesh out the enemy and defend his family.

Tsuna waited patiently, not wanting to jump to any conclusions. He observed everything quietly day after day, gently reaching out with his flames in an unassuming way. The more he watched the more horrified he grew. It _was_ Kyoko, he could feel her flames now and they were _everywhere_. Every single person in town had her flames in them to various degrees. Their class was horrible, they were completely drowning in her flames. Though luckily his friends seemed to be protecting themselves unconsciously. He watched as things started going ways she didn't like, watched as she _changed_ them and altered the outcome to her liking. He was horrified, she was completely controlling most of the town into doing her will! There were some areas that she didn't have under her complete control but Tsuna noticed that she visited those areas with increasing frequency, distributing her flames carefully in a controlled manner so as not to draw suspicion. He grit his teeth, not wanting to believe that Kyoko could do something so horrible. She was controlling people's lives! Using them like dolls and manipulating them to her pleasure! It was sick and it needed to stop. _Tsuna_ had to make it stop.

He subtly questioned his friends and others, but found that all of them instantly rejected any notion that the girl was anything less than perfect. His friends less so than others, but they still didn't see past her false visage. He even "subtly" asked Reborn about her. Though this subtly included asking outright what her thought, because normal subtly didn't work. Tsuna was slightly horrified to find that Reborn hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary about her, though the boy refused to try and check Reborn for flames because lord knows how that would turn out. Tsuna grit his teeth. He needed to stop Kyoko, but how? Then he remembered something Reborn had told him once. With new determination he went downstairs to the phone. He dialled the now familiar number and waited for an answer. When he heard the polite greeting on the other end, he didn't waste any time.

"Grandpa, I need your help with something..." Tsuna trailed off, he really didn't want to do this, but it was necessary.

* * *

He walked quietly down the halls towards his destination. He was going to confront Kyoko, tonight. It was best that he acted quickly, he needed to try and save everyone before they couldn't be saved. Not to mention he could feel her beginning to get agitated at his lack of response to her flames. She would get suspicious soon and he needed to act before that happened, it was his best chance to get to her without having to go through any blockades. He needed to act as quickly as possible to save his town, his friends, his _family_. They were in danger and Tsuna was the only one who could protect them when they themselves had already fallen victim. He finally came across the one he was looking for.

"Kyoko-chan, I was wondering if we could talk about something after school?" He asked, feigning a bashful smile. He responding smile was brilliant as she nodded, but he could no longer see the rainbows and sparkles. Mist flames, huh...?

"Of course, Tsuna-kun! Where do you want to meet?" She asked, perfectly chipper. It made Tsuna want to be sick. He forced himself to smile.

"I was thinking somewhere quiet, maybe the Shrine?" He asked, tilting his head down slightly and looking at her through his lashes. The perfect picture of demure shyness, he had noticed recently that she enjoyed people submitting to her. She giggled quietly and nodded again, brilliant smile still plastered on her face.

"Perfect, I'll see you there!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Italy...

Timoteo sat in his office running his conversation with Tsunayoshi through his mind over and over. Whatever it was, it sounded serious and he didn't think he should leave Tsunayoshi to do it alone. He picked up the phone on his desk, hesitating a moment before dialling a number. He repeated the conversation in his mind once more as he waited for the one on the other end to answer.

 _"Grandpa, I need your help with something..." Tsuna trailed off uncertainly. Timoteo hummed in thought, what could get the boy acting so nervous? A new enemy perhaps?_

 _"Hmm, what is it Tsunayoshi-kun?" He asked pleasantly._

 _"I need you to tell me how to seal a person's flames." Timoteo was shocked, why did Tsuna need to know something like that?_

 _"I know it's a weird thing to ask, but it's really important. I'll explain later, but right now I need you to tell me." The boy hurried to continue, his voice hardening with determination. Timoteo frowned, this sounded serious. He told the boy what he needed to know, but didn't let him leave without warning._

 _"Tsunayoshi-kun, this process is extremely difficult to carry out on someone who can control flames. You will need to proceed with caution, it may be best to wait until I can send someone over who can help you." He advised, hoping the boy would listen but not expecting it._

 _"Thanks, Grandpa, but this can't wait... I need to do this as soon as possible." The determination was still there, but there was something else mixed into the boys voice now. Resignation? And... was that regret? The boy thanked him and hung up, leaving him to his thoughts..._

" _Hello_ ~" Came through the phone just after he heard the click of an answer. Timoteo didn't bother wasting any time on formalities. If the situation was as serious as he thought it was...

"How fast can you get to Japan? Tsunayoshi-kun seems to be in a spot of trouble..."

* * *

"What did you want to talk about, Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko asked cheerfully, Tsuna bit his lip. He couldn't believe she was acting so happy. What she was doing wasn't right!

"Drop the act. I know what you're doing." He said evenly, trying to keep a calm persona. First was confirmation, then he would act accordingly. She tilted her head to the side, a confused expression beginning to take over her features. It was quite cute, but it made Tsuna sick.

"What do you mean, Tsuna-kun?" She asked, the picture of innocence. He grimaced, almost sneering at her falseness. He could feel her flames licking at him, trying to take control of the situation.

"I _mean_ your _flames_!" He practically growled out, continuing before she could answer.

"I can feel them everywhere, don't bother trying to pretend. I've seen how you control situations, I know _everything_." He told her, preparing himself for what would happen. But nothing could prepare him, not for this. Her innocent facade dropped, a smirk curling her lips.

"Hoh~ I didn't think I'd be caught out... Well then, what are you going to do about it?" She taunted, any trace of the sweet girl she pretended to be gone. Tsuna froze, shocked. It was one thing to have a theory, but another entirely to see it true. Tsuna had still been hoping that he was wrong. He released a shaky breath, trying to remain calm for what he was about to do. He needed to concentrate. If he was right then everyone's minds, their _lives_ , could be at stake. He couldn't fail.

"I'll stop you. I'm going to seal your flames so you won't be able to use them anymore." He vowed, her smile dropped for a moment before she broke out laughing.

"You think you can? " She laughed out hysterically, quickly changing into a taunting tone.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Tsu-na-yo-shi-kun~. I've been using flames ever since I was a little girl, far longer than you and I am much, _much_ stronger than you, Chrome and that weirdo Mukuro!" She grinned, a deranged glint in her eyes and Tsuna knew right then and there that Kyoko wasn't sane. He grimaced, this was going to be hard. But he had to do this, his family was in danger and if this continued... Tsuna shuddered, he didn't want to think of the consequences. He swallowed his pills, activated his Vongola gear, put his hand out palm first and let his flames flow out to surround her. But, of course, she retaliated instantly, throwing her own flames out and pushing his back.

According to Grandpa he needed to force her flames deep inside her and lock them up, his own flames acting as a barrier to keep them there. Basically it was a battle of the wills, he was trying to force her flames down and she was trying to force his out. Unfortunately Grandpa had been right, it was a lot more difficult than Tsuna had anticipated. Kyoko was pushing back _hard_. Plus he still didn't want to think that she was completely gone, hoping that there was still some inkling of sanity left that he could pull on to bring her back. Maybe he could talk to her! It was a long shot, but he had to try.

"This isn't right! You can't just use your flames to get whatever you want! People aren't your puppets!" He shouted over the roar of their flames, desperately hoping that she could be brought to her senses. But he was proven sadly wrong when she answered.

"Puppets? Of course they're my puppets! They _will_ do whatever I want, whenever I want! They're mine to do with whatever I please!" She screamed at him, grinning madly as she created a blade of Mist flames and thrust it into his abdomen. _It's an illusion!_ He reassured himself as she thrust over and over again, cackling the entire time. Tsuna grit his teeth, how could she do this?! His flames flared and he pushed harder against her, shocking her slightly. But not enough to make her falter. That was when he noticed him, Kyoko noticed him too and a smirk quickly made its way onto her face. _Onii-san..._ Tsuna thought with building dread.

"Sawada...? What are you doing to Kyoko?!" He choked out Tsuna's name, briefly processing whatever Kyoko was showing him before yelling out in confusion and rage. Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun were close behind him, looking just as confused.

"Onii-san, help me please!" She cried out, sounding for the world like the terrified little sister that she would never be.

"Sawada... I thought you were a better man that that! This isn't Extreme at all!" Onii-san yelled, rushing forward to help his 'defenceless' little sister. He ignored his older brother figure in favour of upping his pressure on Kyoko, it must be taxing for her to be creating an illusion of that magnitude and fight him at the same time. Besides she would keep him away, she didn't want him to find out her secret after all. Tsuna was right, Onii-san would barely get 10 feet near them before dancing backwards as if he were dodging an attack. He wasn't even using his Vongola Gear, a testament to how angry he was at Tsuna's actions. Tsuna couldn't blame him, he didn't know what Kyoko was really doing. he was just protecting his bay sister. But said baby sister didn't deserve protecting.

Tsuna grit his teeth, his lips curling in a slight snarl as he faced the girl. This had gone on long enough. He upped his flame output, hoping to overwhelm her. But she just upped her flames as well. This was going nowhere. At this rate they were just wasting flames, waiting for the other to slip up or run out. And he couldn't just wait it out. He had no idea how large Kyoko's supply of flames were, had no idea how powerful she was. After all, she was flawlessly creating an illusion and pushing him back, seemingly with no consequence. He chewed on his lip, watching her, her flames, analysing them. If he could just figure out how much flame she had... It wasn't helping that Onii-san was being so distracting.

That was when he saw him. Yamamoto was edging around to get behind Tsuna, but the teen didn't look like he was going to attack... No, he was looking for something... Yes! Tsuna could almost cry with relief. Kyoko was so focused on Onii-san that she hadn't bothered with creating an illusion behind Tsuna. Just a little further and Yamamoto would see the truth. Just a little further... Yamamoto's eyes widened as he saw what was really happening behind the illusion, instantly activating his Vongola Gear and attacking the girl.

"Yamamoto look out!" Tsuna cried as Onii-san attacked him. Now all he needed was for... Where did Gokudera-kun go?

"What are you doing?!" The older teen roared at the other boy as he swung another fist, Yamamoto swiftly blocking it with the side of his blade.

"Sempai, what you're seeing is an illusion!" Yamamoto tried to persuade the raging white-haired boy, failing as Onii-san just growled at him.

"What are you talking about! Sawada's attacking Kyoko!" He yelled furiously, trying to get back at Tsuna. Yamamoto stopped him from moving forward. He looked grim, he didn't want to fight Onii-san but he didn't have a choice if he wanted to help Tsuna.

"Move." Onii-san ordered, but Yamamoto stood his ground.

"Yamamoto, move!" He yelled, throwing a punch aimed at Tsuna. Yamamoto braced himself and blocked the hit, struggling slightly under the weight. They jumped away from each other as a chain slammed down on the ground between them. Hibari looked _furious_.

" _ **Herbivore**_." He growled out and a shiver went up Tsuna's spine at the unrestrained rage present in the older teens voice, his killing intent tangible in the air.

"Hibari-san..." Tsuna trailed off, not knowing whether the boy was on his side or not.

"How many." Hibari ground out, his eyes narrowing dangerously as they flickered to Kyoko and back to him. Tsuna knew what he meant instantly. _How many had been affected? How many had he failed to protect? How many could he save?_

"The entire town to varying degrees. I don't know... I don't' know if I can help some of them." He choked out the last part, mind wandering to the old couple he had seen at the edge of town. Their gazes had been blank, lifeless. Kyoko didn't have any use for them at the time so she shut them off and nobody even noticed. Hibari's anger spiked exponentially. He grit his teeth and bared them viciously at Kyoko as the girl stared at him blankly.

Hibari entered the fight immediately, going for Kyoko but being stopped by Onii-san. He was forced into that fight instead, Onii-san fighting both of them at once and still trying to get to Kyoko. But the other two were trying to get at Kyoko as well, so the white-haired teen was forced to defend. During this time, Kyoko used Tsuna's distraction to her advantage, upping her flame output and trying to overwhelm the boy. Tsuna grit his teeth, how did she have so much flame left? Was she really that powerful?

 _All this time? How did I not see it…?_ It was all he could think, running through his head over and over again. Her flames were pushing against his painfully, forcing him back. Her flames were mingling with his making it so that they were no longer pure Sky flames, muddled and tainted with a mist that was not his. He grit his teeth. She was so powerful, how could he have not noticed her presence before? _It's no use, I can't hold out any longer..._

"Giving up already, Tsunayoshi-kun~" A voice sang from behind him. Tsuna smiled, he knew that voice very well. So, he wasn't going to fail after all...

"Byakuran..." He sighed in relief as he felt the older man's flames wash over him, trying to clean and purify his flames.

"Quite a troublesome opponent you've discovered, Tsunayoshi-kun~ You focus on locking down her flames, I'll make sure she doesn't taint yours." He said, voice taking on a serious tone as he voiced their tactics.

"Right." Tsuna replied calmly. His eyes briefly flickered to Yamamoto and Hibari fighting with Ryohei, they were managing to keep him back with the two of them but he was pushing pretty hard. Desperation was a big motivator. But he had Byakuran now, he should be able to combat her strength and finish this before anybody got hurt. He released more flames, pushing against hers with as much strength as he could muster. But... Tsuna grit his teeth. It wasn't working. She still had too much flames for him to control and lock up, not to mention he was running out himself. And Byakuran seemed tired for some reason. Tsuna needed more flames and he needed Kyoko to have less... That was it! _He_ needed more flames and _she_ had too much for him to control, he could use her own flames against her! It would be difficult but he would _make it_ work.

"Change of tactics. Byakuran! Get ready for a lot of Mist flames!" He called out to the older male.

"Right~" He answered, the seriousness on his face unmistakable even through the false cheer. Tsuna nodded, changing the position of his hands.

"Zero Point Breakthrough: Custom!" He called as he started absorbing her flames. He could feel the effects immediately.

"Hahaha! This is the end! I've won, you'll never beat me!" She cackled gleefully. He could feel the flames mixing into his, forcing their way into his mind as Byakuran tried to force them out. Tsuna's mind blurred.

" _You've been too dependent on your abilities and forgotten about your Dying Will._ " The suited man's voice ran through his mind. Tsuna's mind cleared instantly.

Right, Dying Will! He needs to acknowledge his opponents strength and fight with his Dying Will. Tsuna looked at Kyoko and let himself remember, what she had done and what she _could_ do. Images flashed through his mind: Kyoko controlling his classmates, the shopkeepers, the old couple on the outskirts of town and their blank eyes. Then his own friends with the same blank, lifeless eyes. He grit his teeth. He wasn't going to let that happen!

"I. Will. _Not._ _ **Lose!**_ " He ground out determinedly. His flames flared with his resolution, Byakuran's responding accordingly. Kyoko faltered as her flames were absorbed faster and without consequence until she couldn't produce any more. A fearful look crossed her face as Tsuna pushed his flames out, completely surrounding her as she desperately tried to produce more flames. She screamed as his flames enveloped her, entering into her system and forcing her powers as deep as they could go without harming the girl. Tsuna pushed and pushed, forcing them deep where she couldn't reach them. He didn't stop even as she begged him with tears in her eyes.

"Please, Tsuna-kun, please! I'll stop! I'll never use them on people again, please! Please don't take them away!" She cried, and Tsuna wanted to stop, he really did, but he couldn't believe her. He couldn't trust her after everything she had done, fooling them so flawlessly. This had to be done. So he grit his teeth and continued. He stopped pushing as he felt the flames reach the deepest part of her mind, building a barrier with his flames even as she kicked and screamed and struggled. His barrier was strong, it wouldn't allow her to even build the flames she would need to break it. He nodded once in satisfaction and sealed her flames.

"No!" She screamed as his flames pulsed, letting out a weak shock wave. She dropped to the floor, stunned. Tsuna felt like doing the same. He felt drained and his body was sluggish. It had been a tough battle, but he had won. He watched as Kyoko lifted her hands and tried to make flames, screaming and flailing when it didn't work. She looked like a child having a temper tantrum. She stood up suddenly, took a step forward as she dug a hand into her pocket before thrusting it towards Tsuna. He didn't have time to think or move.

"Tsuna!" He heard Yamamoto shout in panic and was shocked as he felt pain in his stomach, looking down to see blood.

"Byakuran!" He cried out as he saw blood flowing from the man's hand. Byakuran had thrown his hand out to stop the girl, but hadn't quite been able to keep the knife from hitting Tsuna. His hand had been speared and a centimetre or so of the blade had sunk into Tsuna's stomach.

"I'll be fine. Worry about yourself, Tsunayoshi-kun~"

"It's not that deep, let me see your hand!" Tsuna ignored the man and instead examined his hand while Hibari restrained Kyoko with his chains. Onii-san was sitting nearby, tears streaming down his face as he looked at his sister with a horrified expression.

"Jyuudaime!" Gokudera cried out as he came running up the shrine steps, Shamal and Reborn close behind. Oh, _that's_ where he went!

"I-I'm sorry, Jyuudaime! I didn't know how to assist you without endangering you, so I thought it best to get help!" Gokudera panted as he collapsed in front of Tsuna, looking at him with guilt filled eyes. Tsuna gave him an understanding smile.

"It's fine Gokudera-kun, I'm glad you managed to find them." He had no idea where Reborn had been for the last week or so, and he didn't even know Shamal was _in_ Japan, let alone close by. Gokudera gave him a strained smile, not quite able to forgive himself for leaving. As much as Tsuna would love to spend some time comforting the other teen, he had more pressing matters.

"Shamal, could you please take a look at Byakuran's hand?" Tsuna pleaded, grabbing the albino and dragging him forward protesting. Shamal looked exasperated, but acquiesced easily enough. It didn't stop him grumbling though. Once he was done bandaging the man's hand, Tsuna directed him to Kyoko after explaining what he had done. Shamal gave him an incredulous look, but complied. Reborn looked angry, but he didn't know what Tsuna did so the boy thought it was acceptable. Even so, Byakuran thought it necessary to break the tension.

"Phew, that was quite a work out~ Who knew flying so far before a fight was going to be so tiring~" Byakuran sang, though the tiredness in his voice was evident. Tsuna stopped. Then freaked.

"What?! You _flew_ here and then exhausted almost _all_ your flames, are you an _idiot_?!" Tsuna all but shrieked, slamming a fist down on Byakuran's head. The man yelped in surprised pain, clutching his head and ducking away from the boy.

"How else was I supposed to help Tsunayoshi-kun~ I was all the way in Italy when Nono called!" Byakuran whined as he held his head, though there was still a slight playful tone.

"You flew all the way from Italy?!" Tsuna shrieked, then paused.

"Grandpa called you?" He asked in confusion. As far as Tsuna knew, Nono still didn't trust the man. Byakuran nodded.

"He was worried and knew I was the only one with strong enough Sky Flames who could get here in time." Byakuran explained absentmindedly, giving his head a few pats to see if it still hurt. Tsuna blanched at that. Wow, he didn't mean to worry Nono that much. He would have to apologise later...

"Now, _Dame-Tsuna_. You're going to explain _exactly_ what is going on..." Reborn growled, his voice laced with dark fury. Tsuna shivered, this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. But he had done it! He won! He just hoped that Onii-san wouldn't be too devastated... And that they could save the town. He looked out over the town as the sun began to set, Reborn following his gaze curiously.

"Don't worry Tsuna! I'm sure everything will be fine!" Yamamoto said enthusiastically, though there was no mistaking the slightly hard edge to his features. He was worried. Tsuna gave him a small smile.

"I'm sure Jyuudaime will be able to save everyone!" Gokudera crowed, just as enthusiastically as the baseball-lover. Tsuna's smile grew a little.

"Hn, herbivore." Hibari grunted, turning and walking away. Tsuna sweat-dropped, then smiled again. That seemed pretty comforting for some reason.

"Right!" He agreed, determination filling his eyes. He _would_ save them!

" _Dame-Tsuna..._ " Right after he explained everything to Reborn...

* * *

END

 **AN:** And that's it, how was it? Questions, feedback? Un-beta'd, sorry if there are any mistakes.


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